Prospective Graduate Students

How and when to apply

Applications are accepted all year round. However, applications between January and April are best suited to most annual funding cycles. The majority of research projects begin in September/October. Applications should be sent to the individual supervisor and should include a cover letter, CV (including details of academic achievements) and proposed start date by post or e-mail. Mass-mailed applications are generally ignored. After the initial contact the member of staff may agree to endorse your application for a Ph.D./M.Sc. degree, at which point further instruction will be issued to submit an application through the Graduate Studies Office. The typical duration of an M.Sc. degree is 1-2 years and a Ph.D. normally requires 4 years.

Current research areas in the School

Chemistry is a core discipline, which straddles (and heavily overlaps with) the Physical, Mathematical and Biological Sciences. As such, the School is a natural strategic centre and enabling structure for projects at the interface between Chemistry and Life Sciences and Chemistry and the Materials/Nanosciences. The School possesses a vibrant and diverse research portfolio reflecting the central nature of chemistry as a whole - a list of current research areas, a department profile published in Irish Chemical News (2006, XXII, 22-26) and a presentation outlining the activities of most research groups in the School are below.

Finance and Fees

It is important to note that an offer of a research position from the University does not imply that the position is funded and prospective graduate students must ensure that they have adequate funding for their research positions, including the payment of University fees (€6,180 for 2014/15 ). However there are a number of sources of research grants for well-qualified graduates.

For example the Irish Research Council (IRC) fund a number of postgraduate studentships (stipend plus contribution towards fees), while Trinity College offers awards – currently (€6,500 per annum, plus fees). However most students are supported by funds, which are raised by their supervisor through competitive applications to organisations such as Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland or the European Union. Depending on funds available to them, most supervisors try to provide a total grant to their students, similar to that provided by the IRC.

Current vacancies

Accommodation

Limited accommodation is available for postgraduates on campus. However, continuing postgrads need to apply in early February. If you have been accepted to do a Ph.D., you should apply as soon as possible for on campus accommodation, as priority is given to research students. Further details may be found on the college accommodation website.

If you wish to find accommodation outside of Trinity, one of the best places to look is DAFT. This is a website where you can find properties to rent anywhere in Dublin. The best time to look for accommodation is August/September, as lease agreements will be coming to an end at this time. If you arrive in May/June, you may be able to sublet an apartment from another student - people advertise these on the notice boards in House 6, Front Square.

The Werner Chemical Society

Graduate Student Union

Graduate experiences

Three TCD graduate students give short accounts of their background and experiences in the School.

Gareth Cooke, Ph.D. student, Inorganic Chemistry

I studied chemistry and German in D.C.U. for my undergraduate degree. I spent my third year in Germany as an Erasmus student. It was nice to get some experience abroad as an undergrad, and when I returned I found I still had itchy feet from my German experience - so I travelled a whole two and a half miles into town to Trinity! I enjoyed my time in D.C.U. but I wanted to start somewhere new and was delighted to get the opportunity to work in Professor Draper's research group. In reality the life of a postgraduate student is very dependent on your project and your research group. In that sense my move was a shot in the dark, as I knew no one in the group and very little about my project. Luckily it worked out well as I am working with a great bunch of people, which is the most important thing, particularly when work is going slow. Aside from our immediate group, there seems to be a very good collective atmosphere within the School of Chemistry, and we regularly have nights out. Later this year, our group is off to Budapest for the 1st European chemistry conference, which I am really looking forward to.

Mohd Bakri Bakar, Ph.D. student, Organic Chemistry

I'm from Malaysia and my PhD is funded by the Malaysian Government and Science Foundation Ireland. I graduated with a BSc. (Industrial Chemistry) and MSc (Chemistry) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and currently work as an assistant lecturer at UTM. With my research interest in porphyrin chemistry and study leave opportunity, I've decided to join Prof. Mathias Senge's group which at that time was relatively new research group at Trinity College Dublin. It was indeed an enjoyable and memorable moment to be here. As postgraduate studies require the well-equipped facilities and significant research investment along with the brainy peoples, TCD particularly the School of Chemistry is second to none! With the great support from staffs and colleagues including sound environments for enhancing our learning, I believe we are in the right place to explore and increase our knowledge. Trinity College Dublin is the utmost university in Ireland. Failte!

Kyra O’Sullivan, PhD Student, Physical Chemistry

I began my University life as a Trinity Undergraduate in 2002 studying Medicinal Chemistry. The first two years concentrated on organic, inorganic and physical chemistry with the latter two becoming medicinal based, sharing many lectures with the Pharmacy students. As part of fourth year, I had the opportunity to conduct my research project in a lab abroad, which I jumped at. I spent three months at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Science in Copenhagen and had a marvelous time. It was during this period that I had my first insight into the world of chemistry research which, though can be frustrating at times, is also very rewarding and decided research was for me. Following my degree I was thrilled at being given the opportunity to work under Prof. Kelly in his postgraduate group. The immediate group is fantastic and the craic is mighty which is great when you’ve had a particularly taxing day. Not to mention the nights out with the School of Chemistry, be it pre-organized or impromptu, they’re always memorable and you can be sure someone somewhere has a photo of it!